Fireworks
by Echo101
Summary: Cobb is the mayor of Dreamland, Arthur is the sheriff,  Eames is the gambler, Ariadne is the prostitute, Yusuf is the doctor, Mal is Cobb's deranged wife and Saito and Fischer and saloon rivals. When Cobb accepts a bribe from Saito, all hell breaks loose.
1. Where to Drink?

**A/N Disclaimer: I don't own Inception. This is an AU.**

Arthur strutted down Main Street. Cobb, Mayor Cobb, was having a bit of a dilemma. Fischer and Saito, who both owned competing saloons, were having a...disagreement. Saito, who had been here longer, wanted Fischer kicked out. Fischer, who's bar was flashier, wanted Saito to stop grumbling about his saloon. However, Fischer was driving Saito out of business. _I can't even get a lousy drink._ Arthur grumbled to himself. Outwardly, he kept his calm and cool facade. He paused for a moment, considering the two saloons, before deciding to go into Saito's.

"The usual." Arthur told Saito, who attended the bar, as a man slipped into the booth next to him. He groaned inwardly. "Eames, what are you doing here? I'm going to have to arrest you if you're cheating people again."

Eames, the town gambler, laughed as he ordered two pints of whiskey. "Darling," he said, waving his hand around, "I've been looking for you."

Arthur winced as he sipped his drink. "What've you got?" He muttered underneath his breath. In response, Eames pushed a piece of paper towards him.

"Your eyes only, you stick-in-the-mud." Eames wandered off, probably cheating another poor soul out of his paycheck. Arthur clutched the piece of paper. No one knew the reason Eames got off scott-free...except for him and Cobb. Eames was their spy in the criminal underworld of Dreamland. He could mimic pretty much anyone and act like he was the all-important king. People were amused by him, and told him things.

Arthur contemplated the curious gambler, when another scene caught his eye. It was Ariadne, surrounded by men who all reached and touched her. She laughed and pushed them away, leaving them wondering who she was going to stay with tonight. Arthur's mind drifted as he remembered the younger Ariadne, the one you'd find after pushing past all of her defenses. She was a wide-eyed child, believing in anything and everything. She was also smart, and Arthur had gained a soft spot for her. He gripped his glass tighter as men started trying to get her.

"Arthur!" Ariadne called, waving to him. He smiled and waved back as the men scooted away from her. Everyone knew Arthur would kill anyone who came to close to Ariadne.

Another shadow slid into the stool next to him. The dark man ordered a pint of Scotch. "So, Arthur, keeping an eye on the town's restless men are we?"

"Hardly. Ariadne has her eyes on them already." The man snorted into his drink. "So how's Mal?"

The man's smile faded. "Not good." He said, shaking his head.

Arthur gripped his glass tighter. "Isn't there _anything_ you could do, Yusuf? Cobb is willing to pay as much as it takes."

Yusuf shrugged his massive shoulders. "I tried. But Mal isn't working. I don't want Cobb visiting her. You remember what happened last time." Arthur nodded. Cobb had set Mal, his deranged wife, free, and she wrecked an attempt to bring some train robbers down. Yusuf was the doctor, willing to help. He was the only doctor.

Arthur mentally sighed. _Now would be a good time to retire._ He thought to himself.

**A/N If you want the story to continue, say so in your reviews. So R&R.**


	2. A Bribe

**A/N All of the reviews say I should continue, so I am.**

"Shut up." Ariadne punched Arthur in the arm. "You're such a liar.**"**

"I am telling the truth. We were surrounded." Arthur told her, laughing. "Then I pulled out my gun and shot about half of them in ass."

Ariadne rolled her eyes. "Right." Her eyes were drawn to the young man-no boy- who attended the bar. Arthur saw where her gaze was being drawn to.

"Fischer is _way_ out of your league. I'm just telling you right now." Arthur warned her.

"So? He'll pay. That's good enough for me."

Arthur would have warned her, but Eames walked in. Something in Eames's expression made him follow the criminal. "I'll be back." Arthur told Ariadne, who had her eyes on Fischer. He followed Eames out. "So what's the problem?" He snapped at Eames. "I was-"

"About to do her. Yes, we all know about your little crush on Ariadne." Eames interrupted him impatiently.

"I don't _like_ Ariadne." Arthur muttered.

"But we have much bigger things on hand." Eames continued, like he hadn't heard him.

Arthur looked at him, startled. Eames _never_ looked serious, or sounded serious. "What's the problem?"

"Why don't you ask Cobb." Arthur wisely decided to shut up.

They came to the town hall, which was little more grander than the other buildings in town, but it was old and dusty. Arthur saw Saito's horse tied up in front. _Is this about the stupid saloons?_ Arthur grumbled. _Why don't we just kick both out?_ He went in and saw Saito and Cobb in an argument.

"Just a little bit." Saito pleaded. "He's ruining my business! No one ever comes into my saloon anymore!"

"I'm sorry Saito." Cobb said firmly. "I can't help you. This is a problem between you and Fischer."

"Then as old friends. Please!"

"What's going on Cobb?" Arthur asked, stepping into the argument.

Cobb rubbed his forehead. "He wants me to arrest Fischer."

Arthur balked. "On what charges?"

Cobb smiled a little bit. "Disturbing the rest of town."

"How? It's not like Fischer's done anything _bad_, per say-"

"Saito wants me to make it up."

"I promise," Saito said in a persuasive tone, "I will make this town more prosperous than Fischer can ever make it!"

"We can't do it Cobb." Arthur said, ignoring Saito.

"Of course we can." Eames said, stepping out of the shadows and startling Saito and Cobb. "It's not that hard. These people are easy to manipulate."

"What're you gonna do?" Arthur asked. " Get some criminals to tell us what he's been supposedly doing?"

"Well, yes."

"It's not much of a plan." Arthur argued. "And I won't do it. It's not right."

"I will give you a share of my profits!" Saito cried desperately. Everyone turned to him. "500 dollars...each."

"That's a lot of money for crime." Cobb said shortly.

"I know. But you will accept it."

"Oh? Give me a good reason." Cobb leaned back, folding his arms over his chest.

"How would you like to not have to choose where to drink in the evening? Not be caught up in these politics? Maybe even go home, send your wife to get real help."

"Cobb, don't do it. It's not worth it." Arthur warned him.

Cobb hesitated, then said, "How do I know you can do it? You're not doing so well."

"I can." Saito told him. "So are you going to let your wife die in the clutches of madness? Or get her back East where she can get real help."

Cobb thought for a second, then nodded. Arthur rolled his eyes. _Cobb is desperate though._ He thought. He knew Cobb needed more help for Mal. More than this town would provide. He didn't like it though. It went against everything he believed in.

"Assemble the people you need. Exile Mr. Fischer." Saito ordered them, before leaving out of the building, a smile on his face. He knew he had won.


	3. Convincing a Prostitute

Arthur stared numbly at the ground as Eames rode off. "How can you do this?" He asked Cobb. "It's wrong."

Cobb sighed. "I know. But its my only chance." He thought for a moment. "We have to get people and start planning this whole operation."

"Ariadne's with Fischer tonight. I think I could convince her to sketch down his house."

"Yeah. And we could get Eames to talk some criminals into testifying. And we need Yusuf to come up with something that will make Fischer break down easily."

Arthur raised his eyebrows. "Go talk to Yusuf. I'll talk to Ariadne." Cobb nodded.

"That money-" Cobb faltered.

Arthur nodded. "Yeah, I know. That money might make Mal better."

Cobb put on his hat and left. Arthur sighed, before putting on his hat and leaving.

He tracked down Ariadne in Fischer's bar, smiling coyly at him. Arthur went up to the counter and ordered a pint of whiskey. Ariadne rolled her eyes at him. "What do you want?"

"Depends." He muttered as he sipped his drink.

"If you want to-"

"No. I need your help with something." He grabbed her elbow and took her across the street the town hall. He pointed to a seat and she sat obediently. As he explained the plot to her, her eyes grew wider and wider.

"God Arthur." Ariadne whispered. "That's huge. And you really need-"

"Cobb needs. It's his only chance." Arthur broke in.

Ariadne nodded. Everyone knew about Cobb's wife. She shivered at the recollection of her experience with Mal.

_Ariadne was sitting at the table in Saito's saloon. It was relatively quiet. She was chatting up a few cowboys when _she_ burst in. Mal. Her dark eyes daunting, cruel and sadistic. The cowboys hastily said their goodbyes and left, leaving Ariadne to face Mal's wrath._

_"Do you know?"_

_"Know what?" Ariadne swallowed. She hadn't seen anyone like Mal. Cold, calculating. Sophisticated yet raw. Dangerous yet beautiful._

_"I know what you're trying to do." Mal seemed lost, tired, like she was fighting a losing battle._

_"And," Ariadne gulped. "And what am I trying to do?"_

_"You're trying to steal my husband." Mal swaggered over to her, like she was drunk but in full control of her body. "You can't steal him though. He's mine!" With that last shriek, Mal descended on Ariadne, who cowered helplessly underneath her arms._

_Then came the shout. "Mal!" 2 men burst into the room._

_"You promised!" Mal started shrieking to the mayor. The sheriff came to Ariadne's side._

_"You okay?" He asked her, his dark, warm eyes full of concern. Ariadne could only nod in shock. "Can you run?" Ariadne nodded again. _Shit,_ she cursed mentally. _I must seen like an idiot! _Arthur grabbed her wrist and dragged her out._

_"What...What happened?" Ariadne gasped out. She hadn't been so terrified in her life._

_"That's Mal." Arthur said. The tender expression was still there, but the rest of his face was a mask of suave and charm._

_"And who's Mal?"_

_"Cobb's wife." He said matter-of-factly. Ariadne yanked her hand out of his grip._

_"So why the hell is his ex-wife-"_

_"She's not his ex-wife." Arthur was looking at her with something akin to pity._

_"They're still together?" Ariadne asked incredulously._

_"Sort of." Arthur hesitated. "You see, she went crazy a few years ago. Cobb keeps her locked up with the doctor, Yusuf. She must've gotten loose."_

_"So why the hell isn't she back East? She could kill someone!"_

_Arthur looked at her. "I'll never let her kill you." He leaned forward and brushed his lips on her temple. Ariadne shivered. So began her enormous love for him. For what he did. For what he became. For what he was._

Arthur was still staring at her. "Okay." She said in a hoarse voice. "What do I do?"

"Get me the layouts of Fischer's house." He paused. "If you do, you get 500 dollars."

Ariadne's heart jumped into her throat. With 500 dollars, she could leave this God-forsaken town, go back East, get a good job. With 500 dollars, she could have the world at her feet. She nodded. _What have I got myself into?_ She asked herself privately._  
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	4. Getting the Rest

Cobb shook his head clear of thoughts as he went into Yusuf's office. _I'm doing this for Mal. Her health matters._ He thought of his children, back East with their grandmother. He always sent James toy cowboys and Indian arrows. Sometimes, when he could get his hands on it, he would send Phillipa a dress. But it wasn't enough. He longed to see them again, but back East, Mal would be thrown in prison.

"Ah, Cobb, Mal is fine." Yusuf told him, smiling as he looked up from his potions and work.

"I'm not here about Mal." Cobb said awkwardly.

"Oh? Then why here? If it's a little help-" Yusuf told him, his grin sliding.

"I need your help, but not in the way you think."

"Okay." Yusuf nodded his head in understanding.

"I need a sort of-of-of potion."

"Like sedation?" Yusuf raised his eyebrow. "If you want to put Mal to sleep-"

"No." Cobb sat down. "I need you to make something that will confuse the taker, something that will make them easy to manipulate."

"So you would need a mixture of sedation and something else."

"Exactly. I also need them to seem awake, and it has to be easy to take."

"Well, all things are easy to take."

"No, I mean easy to hide inside some kind of food."

"Okay. Anything else?"

"Tasteless, odorless, basically undetectable."

"I think I have something." Yusuf furrowed his brow. "Why Cobb? What are you planning to do?"

Cobb took a deep breath. "I'm trying to convict Fischer of charges he is innocent of. Saito is paying us. In exchange for your help, Saito will pay you 500 dollars."

Yusuf sat back and rubbed his forehead. "500 dollars. That is a lot of money. How do you know he can deliver?"

"I don't. I'm going on faith. I don't like it, but it's the best I can do." Cobb paused. "And Mal, how is she doing?" His voice was different. It had affection in it, a hint of tiredness. _In the end, that was what mattered to Cobb._ Yusuf reflected.

"She's doing fine. I sedated her a little bit. That should keep her quiet until the night, if you want to visit her."

Cobb nodded his thanks, then left.

He went across town to find Eames. He was sitting on a piece of cloth, shaded by the building. He was rolling the dice on some unlucky man's fate. Cobb smirked, how long did it take for them to figure out that the die were loaded? The man screamed in frustration as Eames one.

"Why not the next one?" Eames said in his trademark British accent. "You could always roll the next one."

"It's always the next one with you." The man grumbled. He grabbed his remaining money and stormed away. Eames finally noticed Cobb.

"Ah...Cobb, pleasure to see you. Come inside for a cup of tea?"

"Of course Eames." Cobb said smiling. They went inside, and Cobb explained the whole plan to him. Eames nodded thoughtfully.

"I could do it. Charming or otherwise." Eames rubbed his chin. "500 dollars?" Cobb nodded. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

Cobb smiled gratefully. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."

Eames gave him a knowing smile. "Don't I? Just keep Mal better for us."

**A/N Check out my other stories, Opportunity and Turned Down Once. They're Percy Jackson though.**


	5. Nightime Visits

Cobb went up the stairs, nodding to Yusuf, who was petting his cat. He climbed the final stairs to the attic. He touched the roses he had brought for her, his lovely Mal. He swallowed and opened the door. Mal sat against the window frame, her body silhouetted by the moonlight. Cobb's breath caught in his throat. She was as beautiful as ever. The years that had aged him hadn't touched his Mal. She swung around, suddenly noticing Cobb.

Her eyes scrutinized him, every part of him. She was seeing through him, right into his very soul. "Cobb." Her French accent was breathy. "You came back." She whispered. She came up to him, touching his face.

Cobb grabbed her hand. "How could I leave you?"

"Do you remember?" Mal asked. "Do you remember, when you asked me to marry you?"

"Of course I remember." His face moved against her hand and he closed his eyes. "I always will. I told you-"

"That a native told you something."

"He said he had a vision. A vision-"

"Of us growing old together."

"That we would never be apart."

"That we would live together."

"Yes." Cobb opened his eyes and kissed her hand. "Yes, I remember." He took her by the arm and sat with her on the couch.

"You remember, then, when we had Phillipa."

"Yes honey, I remember. I remember you saying that she was beautiful, and that she would be the pride of us."

"That she would love us. And we her." Mal corrected him. "Does she miss me?"

"Always Mal. We all do."

"But I'm here."

Cobb, sensing an eruption, tried to pacify her. "I mean back home." He paused. "James is waiting for us."

"Why can't we leave?"

"Because, I have work to do here."

Mal frowned. "You always do. Why don't we LEAVE!" That last part was a screech.

Cobb sat silently, waiting for her to calm down. He took her hands again. "I know. I know that I have work here. But I have a way out. A way to get us back home."

Mal became silent again. "How?" She asked, tilting her chin up. "How? You have work to do."

"Yes, I know I do. But this, this is a lot."

"Why? Tell me." Mal was forcing him. There was no way Cobb could stop himself, even if he wanted to.

"I have to frame an innocent man. I have to say he's doing something when he's not. He might hang. But I have to do it. I have to get us home." Cobb mumbled the last part into her hand, pressing it against his face.

"We could live here." Mal's accent was creeping into her speech. "We could bring James and Phillipa here."

"No." He said, shaking his head. "We can't. It's too dangerous. This is the only way to go back."

They stayed still for a while, then Cobb shook himself. "I have to go. I'll be back." He promised.

Mal let him go. Cobb left, vanishing into the darkness as Mal watched.


	6. The First Meeting

Cobb sat on his desk, looking around the office. Ariadne leaned on the front of the far wall, right next to Arthur. Their hands were barely touching. Eames lounged against the doorway, and Yusuf was sitting down, polishing his glasses. Saito stood, his arms folded.

Cobb cleared his throat. "So, the plan is-"

"Bloody hell, Cobb." Eames interrupted. "You don't have to tell us again. We _all_ know the stupid plan."

"Eames, shut up." Arthur retorted.

Ariadne rolled her eyes. "You do know the town calls you the Two Kids."

"Shut up, Ariadne." Eames said rather rudely.

"Shut the hell up, Eames." Arthur responded. "And besides," He continued, addressing Cobb's plan, "A few of us would like a little more specificity." Eames looked at him with his eyes almost bulging out. "Specifity? Look it up Eames."

"Enough you two." Saito interrupted. "I don't pay you to bicker. I pay you to get what I want."

"Which is running Fischer out of town." Cobb said, circling back to the original purpose. "Ariadne, do you have the layout of Fischer's house?"

"Yeah." Ariadne replied. "All the details too."

"Okay, I need you to teach them to Eames's chosen criminal." He looked at Eames. "You do have a criminal in mind, don't you?"

"Yeah Cobb. I'm not bloody stupid."

"Bloody lazy more like." Arthur muttered underneath his breath. Eames shot him a glare. Arthur shrugged.

"Yusuf will tailor a compound that will make Fischer susceptible to our idea. It will also confuse him." Cobb continued. "Any objections?"

Arthur raised his hand. "I think Ariadne should teach the layout to Eames. Then Eames can teach it to his criminal."

"Arthur, I'm not a kid." Ariadne said patiently. "I've been through worse."

"Yeah," Arthur said, facing her, "with men. Not criminals."

"I'll be fine!"

"No, you won't."

"Yes, I will." Ariadne was slowly losing her temper.

"Arthur, she'll be fine." Cobb overruled. "Like she said, she's been through worse." He turned to Eames. "So who's your criminal?"

Eames smiled. "I got a guy. Slippery little fellow, he is. But he's good at lying."

"And that person would be?"

"Nash." Eames grinned.

Arthur gasped. "That guy!"

"Why? Who's Nash?" Ariadne asked.

"Remember that story I was telling you, where we were surrounded by bandits?" Arthur reminded her.

"Yeah."

"Well, the reason I even had that story was cause Nash sold us out to the bandits. If he hadn't sold us out...well, we might be at a different town."

"Oh, so he's not good."

Arthur ignored Ariadne. "How could you pick Nash? Aren't there other guys?"

Eames shrugged. "Yeah, but no one, I repeat, no one can sell a story like Nash."

"Yeah, and the whole reason he's on the streets is cause he's a two-timer son of a bitch who doesn't care about the world and only thinks of himself." Arthur snarled. "Isn't there anyone else for the job?" He pleaded to Cobb.

Cobb frowned in thought. "We'll pay him 500. That should keep him quiet."

"Yeah, until Fischer's guys pay him a bigger amount."

"I will personally insure that is silence remains." Saito said, stepping in.

"Any other objections?" Cobb asked looking around. No one raised their hand. "Meeting adjourned. You all know what to do. Report back here in one week."


	7. The Whole Story

Ariadne looked around nervously. She usually wasn't this nervous, but Arthur had been heckling her after they left the office.

_"How do you know you'll be safe?" He asked her, and kept asking her._

_"Arthur, shut up. I'll be fine." Ariadne wanted to pretend his question was for her, but she knew it was about Nash, and whether or not she'd be able to tell him._

_Arthur looked hurt. Ariadne had tried to apologize, but he kept brushing her off. They were like that for the whole evening. Ariadne went with a few men just to piss him off. It didn't seem to work, because he kept his impassive facade._

Ariadne shivered and drew her coat tighter around her. The only reason she had was because of Arthur she remembered with a pang. A shadow arose in front of her. It crept across the alley like a ghost, hardly touching anything, hardly their.

The figure came closer and threw back its hood. Ariadne saw a dark-haired man with curls. He's cheeks were gaunt, and his eyes flashed menacingly. He threw back his head and laughed. "I assume you're the contact I was told about."

Ariadne swallowed, then drew herself to her tallest height. "Yes, I am."

Nash came a little closer. "So why is the town prostitute my contact?"

"Because I know the layouts of Fischer's home. You need it for your job."

Nash reached out and touched her cheek. "You're a pretty little girl."

"Let her go." Arthur stepped out of the shadows, his hand on his gun.

Nash snarled. "You think I'm going to let a pretty face like that go to waste? She'll be of some use, as the Indian squaw."

"I don't want to fight you Nash." Arthur said calmly. "I promised Cobb I wouldn't. But since you're threatening the miss who's gone for a walk, I think I should."

Nash threw back his head and screeched to the sky. "You want to tell her what happened that day?"

"She already knows."

"She doesn't know what happened after, does she?" Nash cackled when he saw Arthur's eyes widen. He turned to Ariadne. "Listen here. So I gave 'em to the bandits. Serve 'em right for not giving my fair share to me. But anyways, the bandits come back, with me in chains. Saito's master of the whole lot." He saw Ariadne jerk a bit. "Didn't know that, did you?" He smirked. He went on with his story. "We was working for a man named Cobol." He continued, pacing around, bursting into strange bits of guffawing, and otherwise acting drunk. "This Cobol, 'e wanted Saito dead, 'cause he stole a lot of his stuff. We fail in bringin' Saito down. Cobb and Arthur are goin' to run off, by themselves. I tells the bandits were they be. They come chasin' after 'em, catchin' 'em just as theys about to board a stagecoach. Saito gives him the option to shoot me. They refuse. They know I don't stand a chance 'gainst Cobol. He'll track me down, kill me, do the whole lot. Saito gives me to Cobol, and I am where I am now. Little messed up here," he pointed to his head, "but okay mostly. And ya see, that's why they's evil."

"They ain't evil!" Ariadne burst out, finding her voice. "They're smart, they're kind, they're everything you ain't."

Nash cackled again. "You say that now. Wait till they lose you too." He slipped away into the shadows, leaving Arthur and Ariadne alone.

Arthur was silent for a while. "You okay?" He asked, checking Ariadne with his eyes.

"I'm fine." She whispered. "Was-was it true?"

"Yeah."

"Every last bit?"

"Everything, except for us giving him to Cobol. We didn't know what Saito would do to him."

Ariadne nodded. "He didn't take the plans." She realized.

Arthur nodded. "I think it's in everyone's best interests if Eames hires another minion."


	8. Talking and Letters

Ariadne's arm was caught in Arthur's fierce grasp. He was looking everywhere, making sure that no one was coming. Ariadne's head was spinning. _Why did he come after me?_ She thought. She wondered if he loved her. But then she thought she was being silly. There were plenty of fine girls in town. Why would he bother with a little slut like her?

They came to Arthur's house. He threw a furtive glance around, making sure no one was watching them. Ariadne was then roughly pushed into the house, Arthur closing the door behind her. Arthur swept past her into the kitchen. She followed him in there. She leaned against the doorway as she watched him bustle about. He pulled a chair from the table, and gestured for her to sit down. Obediently, she sat. He bustled about for a while, then slammed to cups of coffee in front them and pulled up a chair.

"If you don't want to talk about it-" He began.

"Oh, I'm more than willing to talk about it!" She nearly screamed. How _dare_ he keep this from her? That Saito was a mobster. That he helped create that-that _monster_! "I have a few questions of my own."

Arthur looked at her, then rubbed his temples. "You want to know about Saito?" He guessed. Ariadne just glowered at him. "Look, the only reason we're doing this job is the same reason you're doing it. Cobb needs to get back home."

"Why can't he go home?"

"Because, Mal won't let him. She's insane, and he can't let her near the kids. Then there's also the cost of the mental institution. There's no way he can afford that. But this job? It might just help him get that."

"Then what?"

"I don't know." Arthur told her. Ariadne was surprised. Arthur always had a plan.

"Where are you going to go?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'll stay here. But after this, Cobb's retiring."

_iiiiiiiiiiiiiii_

Cobb was agitated. He kept pushing papers around on his desk, shuffling them, and reshuffling them. The 500 dollars would be more than enough to help Mal. The young store boy came bursting in. Wordlessly, he handed Cobb a letter, then ran off. _Must be a busy day at the store._ Cobb thought. He ripped open the envelope and read the letter.

_Dear Daddy,_

_I hope you'll come home soon. Granny says you're never coming back, but I don't believe. You won't leave us alone, will you? You will come back. James is helping around the house. I liked your last dress. It was nice. I liked all the flowers on it. I wish you'd come home daddy. James and I miss you._

_Love, Phillipa_

_Dear Dom,_

_I'm coming over to Dreamland 3 months. I hope you are ready. If not, I'll tell the children you're busy. They'll miss you, as always. It takes more than the occasional arrowhead and dress to convince them they have a father. They don't know about Mal, not yet, and I'm hoping it will stay that way._

_Your father-in-law, Miles_

Cobb breathed and sighed. Miles was coming. _Here_. He had a deadline. He had to make it. He had to get back to his children._  
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But when Arthur walked through the door of his office, he knew there were problems. "Nash's gone." Arthur informed him. And just like that, his world became more complicated.


	9. Revalations

**A/N I'm so sorry I didn't update on Friday. I try to update every day, but Friday was busy to say the least.**

"What the hell do you mean Nash is gone?" Cobb nearly screamed at the sheriff.

"I mean," Arthur replied calmly. "That Nash nearly raped Ariadne, then took off."

"Okay. But why the hell is this guy still out there? I want him silenced!"

"Yeah, I know. I'm working on it."

Cobb messed his hair then slammed his hands onto the table. "Shit!" He screeched. Arthur decided to leave Cobb to his little tantrum. Cobb walked around, clutching his hair. He decided to do what always calmed him down. _Mal_, he thought, stumbling out of his office into the bright street.

He went up the stairs to the little attic. Yusuf wasn't in. Mal was standing there, her eyes on the door. She stood smoothly as Cobb came in. "Dom." She whispered, running her hand over his face. "I knew you wouldn't leave me."

"Why would I leave you?" He murmured back, relishing the feeling of her hand against his face.

"Is there a problem Dom? I can help you you know." Her French accent was thick and heavy, as it always was when she was upset. "Is Arthur all right?"

"Arthur's fine."

"Then what's wrong?" She whispered. She looked like any concerned wife, anywhere in the world.

A cough at the entrance to the attic made her and Cobb jump apart. Ariadne stood there, sheepishly. "I just, I wondered-" She mumbled.

But it was too late. Mal's eyes turned obsidian, her face no longer tender. "Who is this? I have seen you before." Mal growled.

"She-she's nobody." Cobb broke in hurriedly. He turned to Ariadne. "Get out of here."

"I have seen you before, haven't I?" Mal continued, like Cobb hadn't spoken.

"No, no you haven't seen her. Get out of here." He said again.

"But I have. You're the little wench that's trying to steal my husband. But you won't. He already has me." Saying so, she kissed Cobb. Ariadne grabbed her chance and fled. Mal noticed, and ran after her. Cobb followed them.

Ariadne panted as she ran, trying to find a place to hide from the shade of a woman she had seen. Her wrist was grabbed by Cobb. "Hurry," He hissed, and rushed her into the office.

"Jesus Christ Cobb." Ariadne shrieked as soon as she was sure they were safe. "What the hell did you do to her?"

Cobb turned slightly away from the door. "I made sure that she was locked in the attic."

"I mean, what happened to make her that way." Ariadne clarified, having calmed down a bit.

"It's a long story." Cobb warned. Unbidden, the memory returned.

_Mal remained motionless. She stared out at the waves crashing in to the sea. Cobb sneaked up behind her, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting his head on her shoulder. _

_"Penny for your thoughts." Cobb told her._

_"More like a golden nugget." She replied, laughing. She grew quiet for a moment. "I'm scared for the children. For both of them." She turned to face him. "Dom, what if we don't return from California? How will our children know us?"_

_"We'll return." He promised._

_All of a sudden, Native American warriors started jumping out. Mal lost it. In that instant, she tried to jump into the sea. "We're lost Dom!" She started shrieking._

_"Calm down, these are just the traders." Cobb tried to reassure her. But he knew they weren't. They had spears and everything. He decided to go with her, and leaped into the sea. The swam up, gasping for breath, only to be pushed down by the cold gray waves again. Mal was crying and was suddenly torn from Cobb by a surge of water. "Mal!" He screamed, his agony apparent in his voice as she was dashed against the rocks._

"What happened then?" Ariadne asked.

_Cobb walked along the desolate gray shores. He spotted something, a dark object. He ran to it, and found it to be Mal. "Mal." He whispered._

_"Dom." She whispered back. "We need to go home!" She said, growing enraged all of a sudden._

_"We will, we will." He whispered into her hair. He knew it to be a lie. He knew he couldn't bring Mal home._

"So, she's been trapped up there? All this time?"

"We moved around a bit before settling in this town."

Ariadne nodded with new found understanding. "It must suck to be you."_  
><em>


	10. Now What?

**A/N I might not going to update for a week because I have several…events that I must attend.**

Eames burst into the office, startling Yusuf and causing Arthur to drop his gun that went off with a bang. Arthur glared at Eames, then bent and picked up the smoking revolver. Eames ignored the glare that could, quite possibly, kill him and started talking.

"Is it true Mal got out?" Eames blurted out.

"Yes Eames, Mal got out." Arthur wearily stated.

"And she tried to kill Ariadne?"

"Mal is...possessive." Arthur replied.

"Besides, I don't think she ate her lunch, which would have kept her quiet." Yusuf broke in. Fischer suddenly came in.

"I need to talk to Cobb." Fischer seemed uncharacteristically sad. Arthur remembered when Fischer was his friend, back when the town was young and they hadn't split ways. Fischer was always laughing back then, his shining face seeming to give off light. Yusuf started fidgeting, and Eames leaned against the dirt-stained window.

Arthur suddenly realized why Fischer was here. "He's dead, isn't he?" Arthur asked.

Fischer nodded, tears glinting in his eyes. He and his father hadn't been...close, per say, but Fischer always wanted to feel a connection to his father. _Catharsis_, was what Cobb called it. An idea suddenly struck Arthur.

"Fischer, was your dad...did he say anything to you?" Arthur questioned. Eames caught on.

"Yes, darling. Did he _say_ anything important?"

"Just...just disappointment." Fischer choked out.

Arthur nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to hear about your dad." He told Fischer truthfully.

"Yeah, but now I've got Browning."

Eames's head shot up. "_Browning?_"

"Yeah, Browning." Fischer replied glumly. Everyone knew who Browning was. The right-hand man of the old man. Too bad the old man didn't see Browning for who he truly was.

"Fischer, go get some rest. We'll figure out something." Arthur reassured him. Fischer nodded and left obediently.

Eames turned to Arthur. "Now what are we supposed to do?"


	11. New Plans

**A/N I'm baaaack. I'm so sorry I had to leave. It's just that I came home at eight every night, so yeah. And I had homework.**

"So instead of driving his dad out of town, we drive Browning out of town?" Cobb questioned. Arthur confirmed it with a nod of his head. "And when we do that, we convince Fischer that he should shut down the saloon."

"Yeah," Eames replied.

"The only problem is," Ariadne said slowly, "what's Fischer going to do?" Everyone stared at her. She blushed. "It's a legit question."

"We can convince him to join Saito or something." Eames said offhandedly. Ariadne nodded.

"The only problem is," Arthur told them. "how're we going to shut down the saloon?" It was a good question, and soon everyone was in thought.

"How about shutting down the saloon as a piss off to his dad?" Eames said.

"No." Cobb said instantly. "It wouldn't work. Browning's the real head."

"Why don't we do poisoning then?" Eames suggested. "I could pretend to get sick, Yusuf confirms I'm poisoned. Browning is in charge of the establishment, we could convict him of trying to kill me."

Arthur snorted. "That'd be doing the world a favor."

"It might work though." Cobb said thoughtfully.

"We need to tweak it a little though." Arthur said. "Maybe Cobb or I could get sick."

"Yeah, and who's the best at acting?" Eames taunted.

"Who's more important?" Arthur shot back. Eames bristled.

"Enough you two." Cobb chided them irritatedly. "We have bigger problems."

"Like what?" Saito asked.

"Like what we're gonna do with Fischer when we shut down his saloon. How are we going to make Eames seem poisoned."

"I can do that." Yusuf interrupted. "It's very easy actually. You just need to find something Eames is allergic to."

"Like what?" Ariadne questioned.

"Like bee stings. Or perhaps I could make a medicine that would create those side effects." Yusuf answered.

"Okay, so we've got that covered." Arthur said. "The most important question is what is Fischer going to do? It's not like he can just leave."

"What if he can?" Eames wondered. "What if...say Fischer goes back East after the saloon closes."

"Yeah, and just how are we going to do that?" Arthur countered.

"Well, that's the general idea darling."

"Well, I want specificity. Not some random idea that _might_ work." Arthur snapped.

Ariadne sighed. "Do you two ever shut up?"

"Not that I've noticed." Yusuf replied as the two men-or rather, children-bickered.


	12. Poisoned

Eames looked around nervously. _He's late._ Eames thought. _Arthur was supposed to be here 2 minutes ago._ Their plan depended on flawless timing. Arthur was the last person to break with the schedule. Eames? The first. Arthur suddenly strutted in and sat down on a bar stool next to Eames. He nodded to Eames slightly and gave him the bottle.

"Yusuf was working on it till the last minute." He muttered underneath his breath. Eames nodded. The thing wasn't meant to poison him, just make it seem like he was poisoned. "One whiskey." Arthur told Fischer at the bar. Fischer nodded and started to get it ready.

"Make that two." Eames added. Fischer nodded again and started pouring the glasses. He set them in front of the two men.

Arthur chugged his down in one shot. "See you around." He said, clapping Eames on the back.

Eames nodded slowly and nursed his whiskey. He waited until Fischer had moved away to another customer. Eames took the bottle and poured it into the whiskey, glancing around to make sure that no one saw him. He chugged it down.

Immediately, he felt himself getting cold. He broke out into a sweat. He couldn't see. He felt pain in his abdomen. He was drowning. "Help me!" He nearly screamed. He saw Ariadne rush over to him, her brow furrowed in concern.

"Is it okay?" Ariadne asked him quietly, pretending to take his pulse.

"Feels like hell." Eames replied through clenched teeth.

Ariadne nodded. "I've had trouble with the whiskey here too." Ariadne said in a louder voice. "I think they don't make it the right way."

Browning burst in on the scene. When he saw Eames, he paled. "Sir, if you need any help-"

"Of course he need help!" Ariadne shrieked. "He's hurt!"

"Well it couldn't have been my whiskey. We import it from the East." Browning assured them.

"Or," Arthur said, popping up like a ghost. "you make it on your own because it's cheaper."

"I assure you-" Browning began.

"I can assure _you_ of something. We're going inspect this damn saloon and get him," He jerked his head towards Eames. "to a doctor. In fact," He growled, stepping closer to Browning, "you're lucky we even _have_ a doctor. And if he says that this is your fault, you _will_ pay, one way or another." He lifted Eames and threw one arm over his shoulder. Ariadne took the other arm. "We will be back." He told Browning.

The trio made their way out of the bar and somehow stumbled down the street to Yusuf's office. "How is it?" Arthur asked Eames.

"It better not be permanent." Eames mumbled back, half-blinded by pain.

Arthur chuckled. "Oh, don't worry, the antidote is worse."

Eames nodded. Arthur had tried it out so he knew exactly what was going on in Eames's mind and the pain he was in. They found themselves in Yusuf's office. Yusuf turned around calmly.

"Don't worry Eames." He assuaged Eames's fear. "You just need to take this." He said, handing out a flask.

Eames grabbed it and swallowed the thing and nearly choked. He shivered. It felt like something cold was eating its way into his stomach. Instantly, he felt better.

"What about the trial?" Arthur wondered. "And what-"

"They'll put it down to Yusuf being a witch doctor." Ariadne interrupted. Everyone looked at her as her cheeks flooded with color. "It's what everyone says." She said defensively. They were interrupted when Cobb and Saito burst in.

"Did it work?" Was Saito's question.

"Yeah." Eames replied. "And it hurt like hell. You're doing it next time."

"Focus Eames. Do they think you were poisned?" Cobb asked urgently.

"Yup." Eames replied. "You have the paper?" He asked Arthur.

"Yeah. We should hurry." Arthur said, looking at the clock in Yusuf's office. "We don't have much time. The town'll want to know what happened."

"If Nash doesn't get to them first." Ariadne reminded him.

"Nash skipped town." Saito said. Everyone looked at him. He tugged at his collar. "I-ah-put a bounty on his head."

"Well, that's good." Cobb said with raised eyebrows. "Now all we need to do is get the trial in order." He looked at Arthur. "Ready?" Arthur nodded.

_iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii_

Browning sat at the bar with his head in his hands. "I'm ruined." He mumbled to himself.

"Don't worry, Uncle Pete." Fischer said quietly, patting his back. "Eames probably poisoned himself." He theorized. "He just wanted a free drink."

Cobb and Arthur burst through the door. "Peter Browning." Cobb read in an authoritative voice. "We arrest you for illegal whiskey manufacturing."

"And poisoning your customers." Arthur added.


	13. The Trial

**A/N I'm sorry if I got things about the court wrong. I don't know much about law.**

"Order, order!" The judge yelled at the humming audience. Everyone was going to watch the trial of Peter Browning. Cobb stood in his best suit with Arthur by his side. Yusuf and Eames was waiting for the witness stand. Ariadne stood behind the two men. Saito stood in the audience. Cobb's mind flashed unconsciously to Mal.

_"This will be our way home?" Mal asked._

_"Yes. We can go home."_

_Mal smiled. "Good." She said happily._

_"But you have to stay here." Cobb told her. "If you go out, we can never see James and Phillipa again."_

_"Okay." Mal said, caught up in dreams about reuniting with her children._

_Cobb handed her some water. "Here, drink this." He told her. She drank the whole thing, paused, then fainted. Cobb gently moved her to the bed, lashing her down with some rope. He checked and made sure that she couldn't escape. "I'm sorry." He murmured, kissing her forehead. "I can't trust you anymore."  
><em>

Cobb came back to reality as the judge stated the facts of the case. "Peter Browning," The judge said authoritatively. "You have been charged with illegal whiskey manufacturing and tax evasion by the People." Cobb blinked. _Tax evasion?_ Arthur threw him a sidelong glance and Cobb had to suppress a smile._ Just in case_ was the sheriff's motto. "What do you say to these charges?" The judge asked.

"I say they are false!" Browning yelled back. The crowd gasped. "I say these men here are trying to frame me." He said wildly, pointing at Cobb and Arthur.

"Honorable men." The judge said, sounding bored. "Do you have an answer to this?"

"Yes sir, we do!" Cobb said loudly. "I say that we have no reason to frame him, and that Mr. Browning is trying to cover his illegal scheme." The crowd's humming grew to a roar. "Furthermore," Cobb continued over the crowd's roar. "I have evidence of Peter Browning's wrongdoing." Cobb stood with a flourish and started pacing back and forth. "I call Mr. Eames to the stand."

The crowd quieted as soon as Eames took the stand. "I, William Eames, swear to tell the truth." He said.

"Mr. Eames, can you tell me what happened on the day you got poisoned by illegal whiskey?" Cobb asked him.

"Well sir." Eames said angrily. "This man" Here he pointed to Browning. "He sells me a cup of whiskey. I drink it, then I start feeling all cold. Can't see anymore. The gut hurts. Then the sheriff and this young lady" He gestured to Ariadne. "they help me up. The sheriff says that this is whiskey poisoning and he and the young lady take me to the Witch Doctor, who gives me something and I fell better."

"Any questions from the defense?" The judge asked Browning. Browning shook his head.

"Next witness." The judge yelled.

Ariadne stepped up. "I, Ariadne Black, swear to tell the truth."

"Miss Ariadne," Cobb said. "Can you verify what Mr. Eames has said?"

"Yes." Ariadne said. "I can also say that Mr. Eames threw up everywhere and I have also felt sick after I drink whiskey from the bar there." The crowd started calling for Peter Browning to be hanged.

"I call Dr. Patil to the stand!" Cobb yelled over the crowd's chanting.

"I, Yusuf Patil, swear to tell the truth." Yusuf recited.

"Dr. Patil, can you tell us what has happened to Mr. Eames?"

"Yes, Mayor Cobb, I can. It seemes Mr. Eames has been poisoned with whiskey. The symptoms are all there." Yusuf informed the crowd.

"Any questions?" The judge asked the defense. Browning shook his head again. By this time, the crowd had become a mob. "We will resume trial tomorrow!" The judge announced.


	14. Redemption

"Will you present the evidence?" The judge asked to the mayor and sheriff.

"We can sir." Arthur replied. The court was being held indoors, to prevent an angry mob. Arthur went and got the old whiskey distiller. They'd planted it in the middle of the night, having put it together the day before.

"Do you have a witness saying he worked that machine?" The judge raised his eyebrows.

"Of course sir," Arthur said smoothly, internally cursing. "We have-"

"Me." Nash said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Of course." Arthur said quickly. "We have Mr. Williams."

Nash took the stand and swore to tell the truth. "I, Nash Williams, do swear to tell the truth."

Arthur cleared his throat. "So, Mr. Williams. Do you recall ever seeing this machine?"

"Yes sir." Nash replied obediently. "Mr. Browning offered me 10 dollars to work it and that 10 dollars was daily."

"So why did you turn it down?" Arthur asked him.

"Because it was illegal." Nash said, looking Arthur in the eye.

The judge cleared his throat. "Any other evidence?"

"Yes sir." Cobb said. He walked over to the doors and flung them open to reveal Ariadne and Mal. "My wife, Mal, is mentally handicapped, but she told me something that led to this arrest." Cobb gently took Mal by the arm and set her in the witness box.

"Cobb, what the hell are you doing?" Arthur asked him, his voice muffled.

"Watch." Cobb whispered back.

"I, Mallory Cob, do swear to tell the truth." Mal said, her French accent as evident as ever.

"Mal," Cobb said gently. "Will you tell the man in the wig what you saw?" Ariadne stood by, alert.

"That man," Mal said, pointing to Browning, "he comes out into the street. He looks around. Then he makes some men take that," here she pointed to the whiskey distiller, "into the back of his saloon."

The judge sat back. "And you're sure of this Mrs. Cobb."

"Yes." Mal said firmly, meeting the judges eyes.

The judge thought for a moment. "It seems that all the evidence points to Mr. Browning as having illegally made whiskey. I sentence him to shut his saloon down and that we is expelled from Dreamland." And with those two sentences, the judge destroyed Fischer's Saloon.


	15. Visits

"So, how was work?" Ariadne asked her husband kissing him on the lips.

"Fine." Arthur replied, hanging up his hat. He watched Ariadne move around the kitchen, her belly almost 6 months. He and Ariadne were finally married, and he was mayor of Dreamland. "Cobb's coming." He said, idly twirling a piece of her hair around his fingers.

She turned to face him. "Is he bringing the kids?"

Ariadne sighed. "Can you believe its been a year since Fischer?" She asked. Fischer had moved away when his saloon and closed down. He went back East, and was now doing well as a factory owner.

"Nope." Arthur replied. He and Nash had made up. Nash then left town, and last Arthur heard, was a missionary in Japan. First though, he'd enlisted in the Civil War, and fought bravely in Gettysburg.

Yusuf moved to his native India, trying to improve lives there. He'd stayed in Dreamland for a while, but he felt that he was no longer needed.

Eames had partnered up with Saito, running a casino right next to Saito's saloon, each benefiting from the others business. They soon controlled the town's entertainment and were as influential as Arthur.

And Mal, well Mal had gotten better. She'd regained her mind and remained with her kids. However, she had died of tuberculosis in the smoky East. All of them had gone to her funeral. Cobb's eyes were red, but he'd gotten over her death. He was happy to be with his kids again.

Someone knocked on the door, and it turned out to be Nash, asking if he could come in for a little while. He had stopped by while trying to gain supplies for several Japanese orphans. Nash left soon after, saying that he was going to start a collecting money for the orphan's food. Arthur gave him a dollar.

Yusuf came in next. He said his native India had never looked better, and his family was glad to have him back. He stayed for a little coffee, but left, excusing himself because of the crazy train schedule.

Saito and Eames came by. They had come with a plan to hire jailbirds, saying it would give them a good profit and would keep crime off the streets. Arthur laughed and told them to watch their drink because it would vanish fast. They left, with the excuse of "business".

Cobb came in last, smiling with his children.

"Did I miss everybody?" He asked, laughing.

Ariadne looked at Arthur. "No." She said. "You didn't miss anything."

**A/N I know it's short, but this is what I imagined the ending would be like. Hoped you liked it!**


	16. Author's Note on MTV Movie Awards

**A/N I am really pissed off that Inception didn't win anything. Not even Best Fight and Best Kiss! 'Cause flying upside down in a hallway is better than jumping up and down. And that line for the kiss was the best line ever! And Eclipse was terrible! Inception should have won! Just 'cause Jacob and Edward take off their shirts every 5 seconds does not make the movie good! Sorry. I am just so pissed off at Twilight.  
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